Gender and society

Question 1

What is radical feminism?

Answer 1

Equal rights is not enough to guarantee equality because that does nothing to address or undo the cultural impact of thousands of years of oppression caused by gender roles.

For equality to be achieved our culture needs to be challenged and changed.

Question 2

What is liberal feminism?

Answer 2

The view that men and women should be equal in their rights and opportunities in society.

Question 3

What is gender traditionalism?

Answer 3

The view that traditional gender roles are natural and that human life is best when following them.

Question 4

What is Augustine’s view on gender?

Answer 4

As a result of Eve giving into temptation in the Garden of Eden he deemed women as “weaker”. This idea became prominent in society, deeming women as easily tempted and therefore the inferior gender.

Question 5

What is Plato’s view on gender?

Answer 5

Being born a woman is what happens to unfortunate men who didn’t get it right the first time.

BUT in Republic he recommended that women shouldn’t be treated as possessions.

Question 6

Plato quote on gender

Answer 6

“Those who are cowards may change into the nature of women”

Question 7

What is Aristotle’s view on gender?

Answer 7

Men are the active agent in reproduction and women are passive - female submission is part of the natural law.

Since women are naturally inferior to men it is best that men govern them.

Question 8

Aristotle quote on gender

Answer 8

“Animals to be tamed by humans…in the same way between the relationship between man and woman’

Question 9

What is Aquinas’ view on gender?

Answer 9

Women are ‘defective’ and created as inferior by God as part of natural variety/social order.

Question 10

Aquinas quote on gender

Answer 10

“Men are wiser and more discerning, and not so quickly taken in”

Question 12

Quote showing effects of The Fall

Answer 12

Eve’s was the first to fall into sin. Her punishment was pain in childbirth and that her husband will “rule over you” (Genesis 3:16)

Question 13

St Paul on the effects of The Fall

Answer 13

Women should not have authority over a man and can be saved through becoming mothers.

“Adam was not the one who was deceived, it was the woman … But women will be saved through childbearing”

Question 14

What is biblical patriarchy?

Answer 14

It is the idea that the Bible is man-made for the purpose of subjugating women.

the Bible, or at least the sexist parts of it, are not the perfect word of God but written by men to further the interests of men.

Question 15

How might traditional christians respond to the idea of biblical patriarchy?

Answer 15

The Bible is God’s inspired word. If God wants men and women to be different, then that’s what God wants.

Women who reject these bible passages are essentially acting like Eve did when she disobeyed God.

Question 16

What would liberal feminists say about the Bible?

Answer 16

The Bible is a a product of the human mind, not the perfect word of God.

The words of the Bible are therefore just human interpretations of what the authors felt and understood of God’s revelation. The Bible is a human record of divine events.

The bible thus reflects the cultural and historical context of its human authors and requires interpretation and continual re-interpretation to ensure its relevance.

Question 17

How would Reuther interpret the Bible?

Answer 17

The Bible contains patriarchal verses, but also verses that are in favour of equality. The Bible is therefore inconsistent on this issue and cannot itself coherently support the traditional patriarchal view of gender roles.

Question 18

How would post-christian theologians interpret the Bible?

Answer 18

Would regard the patriarchy in the Bible as evidence that the Christian God doesn’t exist because it’s man-made, which you can tell by the fact that the Bible gives men what is in their view a superior position to women. God did not make man, men made God.

Question 19

What does Mulieris Dignitatum argue about motherhood?

Answer 19

Motherhood is a woman’s telos; natural purpose.

Both physically - the womb - and mentally - the ability to nurture.

The fulfilment and purpose of the female personality comes from virginity and motherhood

Question 20

What does Mulieris Dignitatum argue about important and valued women in Christian history and theology?

Answer 20

There were many female European saints and that Jesus coming to earth was only possible because of a woman, Mary.

The claim is that Christianity can’t be sexist since there are women it holds in high regard.

Question 21

Quote from Mulieris Dignitatum about motherhood

Answer 21

“Motherhood implies from the beginning a special openness to the new person…discovering herself through a sincere gift of self”

Question 22

Quote from Mulieris Dignitatum about motherhood and virginity alongside purpose

Answer 22

“Motherhood and virginity are two particular dimensions of the fulfilment of the female personality”

Question 23

Quote from Mulieris Dignitatum about motherhood and virginity alongside purpose

Answer 23

“Motherhood and virginity are two particular dimensions of the fulfilment of the female personality”

Question 24

What does Mulieris Dignitatum argue about gender and equality?

Answer 24

Men and women have different but complimentary qualities due to the nature God designed them with.

Women’s qualities are nurturing, caring and the ability to bring life into the world.

Men’s qualities are reason-driven, making them dominate society.

While men and women are different, they are both equally valuable and need each other.

Question 25

Quote from Mulieris Dignitatum about gender equality

Answer 25

"Both are human beings, equally in the image of God...their specific femininity and masculinity complement each other.”

Question 26

What does Simone de Beauvoir say about the Christian valuing of Mary seen in MD?

Answer 26

Shows that it is only through being a man’s “docile servant that she will be also a blessed saint” in Christianity.

Question 27

What does Daly say about the Christian valuing of Mary seen in MD?

Answer 27

Mary is portrayed as a passive empty ‘void waiting to be made by the male’. She argues that Mary is a ‘rape victim’ because ‘physical rape is not necessary when the mind/will/spirit has already been invaded’ When the catholic church say they like and respect Mary – that’s just like a slave owner saying they like and respect the subservient obedient slaves.

Question 28

How would feminists respond to MD's idea that gender roles are part of telos?

Answer 28

Just as Biblical patriarchy, this idea was made by men and is wrong. As evidence, feminists point to anthropological study of different human civilisations, where it is found that there is a large degree of variation regarding gender roles between different cultures. Therefore, there is no universal telos.

Question 29

How would extestenitalists such as Sartre respond to MD's idea that for women, motherhood is a natural purpose?

Answer 29

There was no objective purpose/telos because “existence precedes essence” meaning humans exist before they have a defined purpose and so have to subjectively define their purpose for themselves.

Question 30

What does Simone De Beauvoir say about gender roles and culture?

Answer 30

“One is not born, but rather becomes a woman.” This means she thinks that gender roles and differences are the result of socialisation, not biology. The gender divide started for biological reasons but its perpetuation is cultural.

Question 31

How does Simone De Beauvoir argue that we combat patriarchy?

Answer 31

Requires people to “destroy the concept of motherhood”. There is no maternal instinct; how a mother feels about her child depends on the social context. As evidence for this de Beauvoir pointed out that many mothers dislike or resent their child in certain contexts. She attributes this to women being socially pressured into motherhood.

Question 32

What is Mary O’Brien's criticism of Simone De Beauvoir?

Answer 32

Motherhood can be a positive thing if women are in control of their choice to become a mother. O’Brien thought de Beauvoir devalued motherhood.

Question 33

What is Pinker's criticism of Simone De Beauvoir?

Answer 33

He says that radical feminism believes in ‘tabula rasa’ meaning ‘blank slate’ – the view that the mind is blank from birth containing no human nature. He says that they hold this view for ideological reasons rather than a rational appreciation of the evidence of e.g. prenatal testosterone, so he claims it is against science.

Question 34

What does Anne Oakley argue about the maternal instinct?

Answer 34

The so-called ‘maternal instinct’ comes from culture rather than biology. This was based on her observations that women don’t instinctively know how to breastfeed and that the mothers who neglect their children were themselves often neglected as children. This suggests it is wrong to think that God created women with a maternal instinct.